“Dickens of a Christmas” by the city of Roanoke, Virginia (annual)

Dickens of a Christmas is a huge festival in my hometown city of Roanoke, Virginia. Over the course of several weekends in December, members of the community participate in various events such as a tree lighting ceremony, horse pulled carriage rides, a Christmas parade, and vendors in costume. Most notably however, is the acting out of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. On every street corner, a group of actors acts out a single scene from the book. In the downtime between enactments, actors walk around, still in character and interact with the community. Usually there are tours every half hour so as to show the play in its entirety, but one can also wander freely and observe the scenes out of order. This is an extraordinary event in my city which allows the viewer so much freedom to experience the book, and also to feel immersed in the scene— being surrounded by actors in 1800’s clothing and speaking in British accents.

YouTube / Star City FAME – via Iframely